The 2022 season is going to be one of the most interesting in recent Pittsburgh Steelers history. For the first time since 2003, Ben Roethlisberger will not be on their roster. For the Steelers, their team will have plenty to prove not only as a whole, but individually.
Below are few individuals who are in a "make it or break it" year:
Zach Banner, Offensive Tackle
The 28 year old right tackle is now a few years removed from “reporting as eligible.” This is what made Banner a household name initially, and since then, he was tabbed to be the next right tackle for the Steelers.
Unfortunately for Banner, luck hasn’t been on his side since the opportunity arose. Starting at the position in the 2020 season opener, since then Banner was on the injured reserve all of 2020 and up until Week 6 of the 2021 season due to a torn ACL and a setback during the preseason. Even though he was activated, Banner was inactive the next three games not seeing any snaps until Week 10 of the season. The only significant snaps he took were on special teams, never truly seeing any time at right tackle.
While he is still under contract, the Steelers might choose to never give him a chance this year granted he could save them $5 million dollars in salary cap. If they do elect to keep him, expect Banner to have to fight what competition comes in versus just being the penciled in starter.
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Devin Bush, Inside Linebacker
Bush has had a roller coaster start to his Steelers career. His rookie season was proof why they traded up for him in the first round of 2019. What was supposed to be his breakout year in 2020 was cut short due to a torn ACL. 2021 proved to be the weirdest yet as question marks arose before the first game. It could best be summed up as Twitter isn’t Bush’s best friend and somebody should change his password. This led to plenty of questions outside of the ACL. Pair that with a season that was one to be forgotten, routinely over running the ball, getting washed down too easy, you could tell Bush was not fully back.
2022 will have to be his best year yet or the Steelers may be inclined to go back to the draft board to find their next Ryan Shazier.
Matt Canada, Offensive Coordinator
Right now if you read his resume, with this being his second year as offensive coordinator and will be his first without future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, you would think this mindset is harsh. Canada was brought in as the quarterbacks coach in 2020 and was essentially there to help bring then offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner’s prehistoric offense to today’s game. While the wrinkles had success early on, as the season progressed, “Ben Ball” was more prominent. This resulted in Fichtner’s departure and Canada’s promotion.
While the 2021 offense was different, it was flat out ugly. Whether the reason being the offensive line was too young and inexperienced, Roethlisberger being immobile, or some other factor, 2022 can’t produce the same results. If there isn’t improvement from last year, Mike Tomlin has shown the willingness to cut ties with coaches quickly. Canada has the keys, he just has to prove himself worthy.
What do you think, #SteelerNation? Who else is on the hot seat this year? Drop a comment below!
